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A review by thephdivabooks
The Rumor Game by Thomas Mullen
4.0
A well-paced story that instantly transports the reader to Boston in 1942, Mullen quickly and effectively builds the sociopolitical context for the mystery. The US has joined WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Boston in the early 1940s is filled with anti-Jewish sentiment across the different communities. Tensions among different groups have escalated from unrest to fascism, brutality, violence, and targeted attacks.
Journalist Anne Lemire writes a newspaper column called the Rumor Clinic that debunks false information and rumors spreading around the city. Many of these stories gain traction quickly and lead to dangerous consequences when the information is untrue. One of the stories she is working on revolves around allegations that a doctor at Fort Gillem in Georgia is performing illegal abortions on women in the WAAC (non-combat roles in the army) impregnated by soldiers. Anne rapidly debunks allegations from sources and gathers the information she needs to correct the damaging story. Anne’s Jewish background and her political leanings prompt her to pursue a story about local gangs targeting Jewish kids.
Meanwhile Devon Mulvey is an FBI agent who engages in…extramarital activities with married women. Almost exclusively married women, and not because he targets them but because most women happen to be married after the rush of proposals before soldiers were shipped out to war. In the same way that Anne’s Jewish heritage make her an outsider in many parts of the city, Devon’s Irish-Catholic background make him an outsider within the FBI ranks. Furthermore, it leads to problems within his community because he feels guilt investigating his own people.
When Devon is called to investigate the murder of a Jewish refugee whose body was found with a swastika drawn on a cocktail napkin, he finds himself at odds with the Boston Police Department. Meanwhile Anne’s brother Sammy is attacked by an Irish gang, leading her to pursue deeper investigations into antisemitism. When Anne and Devon’s paths cross, they find themselves with a common cause in their investigations into the Christian Legion.
This is a politically charged novel which can make it heavy to read. A quick pace and interesting leading characters pull the reader into the story. The partnership (if you can call it that) between Anne and Devon is rocky. Their backgrounds prevent them from really trusting one another, despite a romantic connection between the two that seems ill-fated.
A compulsive historical thriller with a strong emphasis on prejudice and political unrest.
Journalist Anne Lemire writes a newspaper column called the Rumor Clinic that debunks false information and rumors spreading around the city. Many of these stories gain traction quickly and lead to dangerous consequences when the information is untrue. One of the stories she is working on revolves around allegations that a doctor at Fort Gillem in Georgia is performing illegal abortions on women in the WAAC (non-combat roles in the army) impregnated by soldiers. Anne rapidly debunks allegations from sources and gathers the information she needs to correct the damaging story. Anne’s Jewish background and her political leanings prompt her to pursue a story about local gangs targeting Jewish kids.
Meanwhile Devon Mulvey is an FBI agent who engages in…extramarital activities with married women. Almost exclusively married women, and not because he targets them but because most women happen to be married after the rush of proposals before soldiers were shipped out to war. In the same way that Anne’s Jewish heritage make her an outsider in many parts of the city, Devon’s Irish-Catholic background make him an outsider within the FBI ranks. Furthermore, it leads to problems within his community because he feels guilt investigating his own people.
When Devon is called to investigate the murder of a Jewish refugee whose body was found with a swastika drawn on a cocktail napkin, he finds himself at odds with the Boston Police Department. Meanwhile Anne’s brother Sammy is attacked by an Irish gang, leading her to pursue deeper investigations into antisemitism. When Anne and Devon’s paths cross, they find themselves with a common cause in their investigations into the Christian Legion.
This is a politically charged novel which can make it heavy to read. A quick pace and interesting leading characters pull the reader into the story. The partnership (if you can call it that) between Anne and Devon is rocky. Their backgrounds prevent them from really trusting one another, despite a romantic connection between the two that seems ill-fated.
A compulsive historical thriller with a strong emphasis on prejudice and political unrest.